


Silver and Gold and a Splash of Red

by hecateandhoney (LiveLoveLikeMe)



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff, Polyamory, winter fluff, ww2018winterfluffevent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-06 10:33:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16830907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLoveLikeMe/pseuds/hecateandhoney
Summary: Hecate, Julie, and Pippa are spending their first holiday season together as partners-- and Mildred's beyond herself with excitement.  What could be better than Yule and Christmas all together under one roof?Poly-ship between Hecate/Pippa/Julie, PHB&J Hubble Sandwich family fluff.Part of the Worst Witch Winter Fluff Event 2018





	1. Three: Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I've decided to do something a little chaotic for this lovely event, which I'm very excited about. You'll notice as the days go on, I'll be posting this all as three separate stories. I've divided the prompts into three groups and formed them into three different stories-- but of course, they're all scattered about throughout the month. Because they're all different ships, you'll notice this same explanation at the start of each one. I just didn't want anyone to feel completely lost by what will undoubtedly look like a very scattered arrangement.
> 
> And a small disclaimer, I will try to post one a day, but I'll be out of town for about a week and might fall a bit behind at some point this month. I have every intention of catching up on them if that happens.
> 
> Please enjoy my totally ridiculous ten chapters of absolute fluffy trash with my fav witchy family.

Three: Mistletoe

As the snow fell in a long twirling path and the trees shivered in protest, things inside the Hubble home could hardly have been thought to be any further from frigid. The air was warm from cookies baking away in the oven, there was a jolly frivolity streaming around from Christmas tunes playing on the radio, and most importantly, there were Mildred’s three favorite women scampering about and filling the tiny space with all the warmth they could need.

The adjustment from being Mildred’s teacher to not-quite-parent was one that had not come easily to Hecate Hardbroom and Mildred alike, but she was determined that this first Christmas with all of them together would be a step towards changing that. After all, Julie, Pippa, and Hecate were in love, and it was great when she got to have them all around, even if it was weird when Miss Hardbroom—or HB as she’d taken to calling her at home—got confused about punishing her and flustered over affection.

Though they had been together for over a year now, this would be the first winter holiday time spent together, and Mildred was brimming with excitement. “I can’t wait to learn all about Yule. And to teach you two about Christmas! There’s so much to catch you up on—movies and music and _presents_. Do you give presents for Yule too? Are there Yule songs? Mum and I always have the best Christmas traditions, you’ll love them. We get matching pajamas and--”

“Millie love, just how many cookies have you had? That sounds like a lot of sugar chatter I hear coming from in there!” Julie called from the open kitchen where she was still waiting to remove the final tray of cookies from the oven.

“No more than Pippa!” Mildred defended.

“That’s hardly reassuring,” Hecate quipped, smirking from behind her teacup as she perched in an armchair watching Mildred and Pippa dance around decorating.

“Tis the season, Hiccup!” Pippa chirped, shimmying across the room and snatching away her teacup to steal a sip for herself. “Uck, darling, how can you stand to drink this so strong? No wonder you’re in such a mood, your body’s probably forgotten what sugar tastes like entirely! Mildred, get her a cookie quickly, before she descends into the Grinch!” Pippa teased.

Mildred obeyed, tearing into the kitchen and nearly bumping into Julie, who gave her a look that slowed her pace to a quick skip.

“I think you’ve had enough, Love,” she said firmly, eyeing the cookie Mildred was placing carefully on a plate.

“It’s not for me, it’s for HB.”

“Ahh, well in that case, take two,” she winked. 

Mildred smiled impishly and took them back out into the other room. Pippa had managed to get Hecate off the chair, and while she steadfastly refused to join in on any dancing, she was almost smiling while she held up one end of the garland for Pippa to get the placement above the door leading off to the bedrooms. Mildred set the plate of cookies on the end table beside Hecate’s abandoned tea, knowing Pippa would probably snag them later if Hecate didn’t find time to sneak them out of sight first.

“It still needs something, Hiccup,” Pippa said with a frown. “Some pizzazz.”

“I fail to see how a gaudy gold string of plastic garland could need _more_.”

Mildred giggled, alerting them to her presence and both adults turned with a start.

“Oh, Mildred, good. Can you look in the boxes again and see if there’s anything we could add? A centerpiece perhaps?” Pippa asked.

“I can do that!” 

While the adults worked on fastening up the garland—she heavily suspected with magic rather than the questionable tape Julie had left out for them to use—Mildred began digging back through the boxes of Christmas decorations they’d dredged out. There weren’t a ton of options. While they loved their Christmas celebrations, it was a small apartment, and much had been acquired in years when money was a bit tight. Most of their decorations were handmade, and she shifted through a few, pausing as fond memories flitted across her mind, but none of it seemed the right choice.

Everything was a memory from before Pippa and Hecate joined their family, and for their first real holidays together, she wanted the memories to all be new.

Then, at the very bottom squished under some lights, Mildred spied the perfect thing.

“I’ll put it up!” she exclaimed, eager to practice the spell she’d seen them doing with the garland and to make it a bit of a surprise.

“Very well, Mildred, let’s see if you’ve been practicing,” Hecate said firmly, but not unkindly, as she stepped back and crossed her arms to watch the display.

A year ago, this might have felt like a test, and Mildred might have failed out of the sheer terror of messing up in front of Miss Hardbroom’s watchful eye, but things were different now. Hecate at home was different from Hecate in the classroom—she was still rigid and strict, but she smiled a lot more, and when Mildred got something wrong, she was gentler in her correcting. 

Mildred held the mistletoe out in front of her and looked steadily between it and the spot in the doorway she wished to hang it, biting her lip in concentration as she tried to remember the words to the spell as they’d taught it to her earlier in the day.

_Off you fly_

_Rise up high_

_To your place_

_Stick on with grace_

For half a second, it seemed that nothing would happen beyond a little wobble, but soon the mistletoe kicked into gear and shot off towards the doorway with a little less grace than intended, but it stuck on nonetheless.

“I did it!” Mildred exclaimed proudly.

“Indeed,” Hecate said with a nod, notably not commenting on the inaccuracies of her spell work. 

“Well done, Mildred,” Pippa exclaimed, clasping her hands together and stepping forward to examine the decorations. “Is that mistletoe?”

“Why would we hang a perfectly useful magical plant in the doorway?” Hecate followed, squinting up at it. Sometimes Mildred wondered if she needed glasses, or if she really just liked to look intimidating. “Don’t be ridiculous, Pipsqueak, it is plastic.”

“Oh, Hecate,” Pippa said, rolling her eyes. Julie came up behind Mildred, squeezed her shoulder in passing, and bounced the rest of the way across the room to see for herself.

“Ahh I see, you lot found my old mistletoe!”

“Why is it made of plastic?” Hecate asked with a frown, trying again to examine it.

Julie scoffed, “Like I’m made out of money and going to buy a new one every year just for it to wilt above us.”

“I think I’ve read about this—it’s a Christmas tradition, isn’t it?” Pippa asked brightly. “We use mistletoe as part of the solstice as well, but you follow the old Scandinavian lore if I’m not mistaken.”

“I see,” Hecate said, looking a bit miffed. Whether it was because she disliked the idea of using such an important ingredient for decoration, or because she disliked being out of the loop of information, was anyone’s guess. 

Mildred decided it was probably both.

With a cackle of laughter, Julie winked at Mildred before leaning forward and planting a big sloppy kiss right on Hecate’s unprepared pouting lips. “You’re supposed to kiss whoever you find yourself with beneath it.”

“I see,” Hecate said a little hoarsely this time, blushing again and clearing her throat. “That sounds as though it could become rather uncomfortable, given the wrong partner.”

“I think it’s delightful!” Pippa cheered. Practically smashing herself in between them, she gave Hecate and Julie each a kiss on the cheek, leaving a cheery pink lipstick print behind.

“Eww!” Mildred had the sudden urge to cover her eyes from all the kissing and laughed. “I think I’ve seen enough.”

“What did you think would happen when you put up mistletoe, Millie?” Julie teased. She had a point, but the idea had seemed too fun to pass up if it helped get everyone in the Christmas mood.

“I know, but adults kissing is so gross,” she explained, sticking her tongue out in a pretend gag.

“Gross are we? I don’t think we should take that, do you two?”

Mildred dared to peek out between her parted fingers, heart skipping a beat at the sight of them all conspiring against her.

“Definitely not, Julie,” Pippa agreed.

Hecate was blushing and nodding off to the side into her hand, always awkward in these instances, but Pippa reached up and plucked down the mistletoe, grinning mischievously over at Julie.

“Uh oh!”

But it was too late to plan an escape. Pippa and Julie were upon her in a clustered tackle of tickles and giggles, kissing her cheeks despite the danger of her flailing arms as she shrieked with laughter. She’d be scrubbing off smears of Pippa’s pink lipstick all evening, but they were her family, and she felt far too safe and loved to wiggle away until everyone was clutching at their sides from laughter. Even Hecate failed to stifle a chuckle from where she’d returned across the room to her armchair to watch from a distance.

Mildred knew affection didn’t exactly make Hecate uncomfortable, because she’d once flat out asked her and made the stoic witch turn almost as pink as Pippa’s dress. She just didn’t always know how to best navigate it, and was usually content to stand to the side and observe.

Christmas, however, was not something to be merely observed in the Hubble residence, and it was up to Mildred to make sure she didn’t let anyone slip through the cracks and miss out. 

While Pippa and Julie took off in their giggles to dance, Mildred scooped up the fallen mistletoe and tiptoed over to Hecate’s chair, hiding it behind her back.

“HB?”

“Yes, Mildred?” she asked, turning away from the two dancing goofily off to the side, still smiling.

“I’m really glad you’re both spending Christmas with us this year. And Yule. It wouldn’t feel right without the whole family here.”

Hecate looked down and swallowed, and Mildred pretended not to notice the glossy sheen in her eyes.

“It is an honor to be part of your celebrations, Mildred. I can see I have a lot to learn, and I hope you’ll enjoy your first Yule as well.”

“I can’t wait!” she exclaimed genuinely. “Mum and I tried to add it in last year, but we weren’t really sure what we were doing.”

“I can only imagine what your mother thought belonged in a Yuletide celebration,” Hecate said with a playful rolling of her eyes. “I will do my best to make it live up to your expectations and avoid any repeat catastrophes in the future.”

“Well don’t worry about that, you and Pippa will be around to fix things when there are,” Mildred said, knowing it to be true. They were her family now, despite all the difficult navigations they’d been taking to get here. She couldn’t imagine another Christmas or Yule without her three mums even before they’d really even started on this one, and she didn’t want to.

“Yes, I suppose that’s true,” Hecate said, looking down again.

One of Mildred’s favorite discoveries had been how secretly emotional the strict deputy head could be if you watched her closely enough.

“And Mum and I will make sure you’re up to date on all the rules of Christmas.”

“There are rules?” Hecate asked, perking up at what had to be her favorite word in the dictionary.

This time it was Mildred’s turn to roll her eyes. “Oh yeah, we have loads. Think of it as the Hubble Code of Christmas. Want to learn rule one?”

Hecate nodded, giving her full attention to the lesson, and Mildred sensed her moment had come.

“Rule one—any and all cheesy traditions must include everyone!”

With a speed only attainable through eating as much sugar as Pippa Pentangle, Mildred whipped out the Mistletoe above Hecate’s head and planted a quick peck of a kiss on her forehead, leaping back and turning away to give Hecate the privacy to whatever reaction she might have.

“Now come on, cheesy Christmas music dancing is an absolute must in this home. It’s a tradition!” Mildred called, skipping over to join Julie and Pippa’s embarrassing attempts at dancing. 

“Well, I suppose we can’t miss out on any of those,” Hecate quipped lightly back, and with the insistent waving of Pippa and Julie, she followed.

Later that night, when Mildred had long gone to bed, and the three of them sat about with a bottle of wine, Hecate and Pippa introduced Julie to some of the other meanings of mistletoe.


	2. Six: Gifts

Six: Gifts

Mildred and Julie had many more Hubble traditions up their sleeves to pass along to the witches, and one of the very best was the trip to the Evergreen Holiday Market. There were roasted chestnuts by the bag full, the Santa Mildred had visited every year until she was ten, more sweets and goodies than even Pippa could eat, a big steaming cauldron of mulled wine, and most importantly—stalls upon stalls of shopping where the Hubble women had been purchasing gifts for decades.

Mildred couldn’t wait to show them, had definitely told them far too much about it, and was beyond herself with excitement to pick out the perfect gifts for her newly-grown family this year.

Julie, who usually insisted on them taking non-magical forms of transportation when in non-magical areas, had for once made a small concession and agreed that Hecate could transfer them into a nearby alleyway. Mildred suspected this was much more to do with her absolute hatred of trying to find parking at the often crowded event, and less to do with any sudden change of heart about blending in, but held her tongue. Hecate was all too happy to avoid the “rolling deathtrap machine” and Mildred was all too pleased to keep her in that positive mood.

They arrived, taking care to make sure they hadn’t been noticed before slipping out into the slowly growing crowd. Mildred gasped in awe almost as loudly as Pippa. No matter how many times she saw it, the lights glowing across the seemingly endless lanes of stalls was a magical sight, something akin to a first snowfall to signal the arrival of the holiday season.

“Oh, Mildred, this is delightful!” Pippa chirped, already looking around with wide eyes and heading towards a stall full of what looked like every possible color of scarves. “Darlings, I’ll catch up in a bit, I wanted to pick up a few things I’d rather you not peek at.”

“Millie, love, do you have your phone?” Julie asked, looking far too tempted to do the same.

“Yes, got it, Mum!” She held it up for proof.

“Okay, then I guess you’re old enough now to go off on your own if you want. But make sure you have that ringer on, and try to stay in sight of one of us,” Julie said.

Mildred was about to do just that when she noticed that Hecate had yet to move like the other two. Instead she stood in a rather familiar tense fashion, looking half ready to transfer away on the spot, secrecy of witching kind be damned.

“HB?” she asked tentatively, tugging at Hecate’s sleeve to get her attention when the woman didn’t immediately respond. “Are you okay?”

“Oh,” she jolted, forcing a smile down at Mildred. “Yes, thank you, I was just… there are a lot of different… options.”

“Right,” Mildred said slowly, trying to assess what to do. It was obvious this wasn’t quite Hecate’s element. “I was actually thinking, uhm, I know Mum said I could go off on my own this year, but I’m not sure I’m ready. Maybe I can stick with you?”

“Of course,” Hecate answered almost too quickly. “I mean, if that’s what you would like.”

“Perfect! Besides, I might need some help with my present for Pippa,” Mildred began, tugging Hecate off towards the first stall.

It did not take long, however, for Mildred to quickly learn that any help needed might be the other way around. 

“Pippa likes pink,” Hecate said happily, picking up a handmade wooden figure in a pink tutu, “But what is this?”

“It’s a nutcracker.”

“Is it very useful?” Hecate asked skeptically.

“It can be? You crack nuts with it. See, you put them in there and pull that lever,” Mildred explained.

“Perhaps Pippa will find that… captivating.” She could tell Hecate wasn’t thrilled by the idea, but seemed overwhelmed by all the strange non-magical crafted items. 

“Does she like nuts?” Mildred tried.

Hecate frowned. “Not especially, no.”

Mildred sighed, grabbing Hecate’s sleeve and tugging her away from the nutcracker stall. “I think you’re on the right track, but maybe we need to work on your idea of a Christmas gift. They should be something the person likes, but also something that feels special. Not just the first pink thing you find. How do you usually choose gifts for people?”

“In the magical world it’s easy. Everyone has an area of magic they’re fond of—I simply purchase them a book or procure a rare potions ingredient. This land of trinkets is… frivolous.”

“It’s about the thought, and you’re a lot better at the whole family thing than you think you are—you’ll find something. And it doesn’t have to be here, it’s just what we usually do,” Mildred explained. “Look, Mum loves jewelry, and there’s some necklaces over there. Let’s see what we can do…”

An hour later found them all meeting up again, each weighed down with a few bags, though Pippa notably with the most. She rather awkwardly steered through the crowd to get to Hecate’s side and kissed her in greeting. “Hello, darling. Find anything for me?”

“You’ll have to wait and see,” Hecate teased back, raising a playful brow. 

“I hope it’s something warm—I just can’t seem to get the hang of the fashion here. I’m absolutely frozen,” Pippa whined, shivering for added effect. 

“I _told_ you to wear a coat, Miss Fashion,” Julie chastised playfully. “Even Hecate was sensible enough to do that, despite her complaining.”

“I am always sensible,” Hecate sniffed.

“Actually, it is kind of cold,” Mildred added. Her gloves had long since ceased at keeping out the chill. “I think that calls for some hot chocolate?”

Hecate looked mildly disgusted, Julie looked a bit horrified—clearly the sign of having stopped for one too many bags of chestnuts, and Pippa looked delighted. “Come along, darling, let’s go get some while these two _sensible_ ladies stand around and freeze.”

Now alone with Julie, Hecate tried to build herself up for what wasn’t necessarily her favorite thing to admit. “I might need your assistance with something,” she admitted.

“Ask away, love,” Julie said with a smile, leaning in to kiss her in greeting now that the bustle of the other two had finally gone. There would have been a time where public affection would have made Hecate flee with embarrassment, but now she only blushed. 

“Am I doing this right? Christmas I mean. I know how important it is to you two, but everything seems so strange I… do not wish to ruin it.”

Julie shuffled her bags to one arm so she could clasp her hand around Hecate’s and look her in the eyes. “Where’s this coming from, now? I thought you were having fun!”

“It has been surprisingly enjoyable. I only feel that I am somehow messing it up. I know Mildred wished to go off and do her own shopping today, but instead she took it upon herself to… babysit me, I suppose.”

Julie scoffed. “When have you ever known Millie to give up on something she wants to do?”

“Well, never,” Hecate admitted.

“Exactly. She stuck around you because she wanted to, you’re not ruining anything. She’s been going on and on about getting to show you and Pippa what a Hubble Christmas is since September. Absolutely maddening, mind you, but I put up with it because even though it was way too early for any jingle bells, I was excited too. Still am, in fact. There’s no wrong way to do things if you’re trying, got it?”

Hecate nodded, feeling foolish for her doubt when all they’d done is try and bring her into their lives. For so long she had been alone, and then Pippa had come back, and it had been a terrifying leap, only further exacerbated by the realization that they weren’t really complete without Julie Hubble. Nothing had ever felt like such a mountain to climb, but they made her feel like reaching the summit was worthwhile, and it had been. 

“Thank you,” she said, not able to say everything she wanted to. “I love that you want to include us, and I shall do my best.”

“You think I’m not nervous about Yule? It’s hardly from my world, but Millie can’t wait, and I know you two will make it good for her. It’s okay to worry about messing up. Hell, it’s even okay if you do mess up. That’s what family’s all about. But we’ll still love you even if we have to spend every second explaining, okay?”

“I think I’m starting to understand that,” Hecate said with a small smile.

“That’s all I ask. It’s all going to be fun, just you wait!” Julie gave her hand another squeeze before tugging her along, vaguely in the direction Pippa and Mildred had gone in search of their hot chocolates. 

“I know Millie didn’t leave you alone long enough to find anything for her. You need any help with her gift? She always not-so-subtly slips a list onto my dresser, so I’ve got more than enough ideas,” Julie said with an exaggerated eye roll.

“Actually, I think I’ve got rather the perfect idea.”


End file.
